Dorothy Y. Helton
Obituary
Dorothy Y. Helton passed away at home peacefully in her sleep on September 8, 2024 at the age of 93.
She was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. During WWII her family had to move away from the coast to Arizona. There her family ran a boarding house for other displaced Japanese Americans. After the war her family moved back to the Los Angeles area. Several years later the family moved up to the Pajaro Valley Watsonville area and were strawberry growers.
She later sold Real Estate in the area and did secretarial work. She retired as an Office Manager at a local veterinary hospital.
She loved to travel and going on cruises. She visited Japan, Korea, Alaska and Canada. She always enjoyed her many visits to Las Vegas with family. She was an avid sports fan and watched all sports of any kind. She especially loved baseball and football and could often be heard coaching the players from her armchair.
She was preceded in death by her husband Robert, parents Kokichi and Fumiye Nakamura, her sister and brother-in-law Yukiko and Ichiro Hirokawa and her son Michael Sugimoto.
She leaves behind son and daughter in law Rick and Eun Jong Sugimoto, daughter Marijo Sugimoto, daughter and son in law Kathleen and Roy Rieman, granddaughters Kassie Sugimoto and Jessica Rieman, two great grand daughter Gabriella Foster and Reyna Bautista, and several nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.
She will be dearly missed. As per her wishes no services will be held.
Published in The Pajaronian · October 14, 2024